Ricerc@Sapienza

Purpose: Vertebral fractures (VFs) were described in elderly patients with heart failure (HF) whereas their prevalence and determinants in younger HF patients are still unknown. This study aimed at assessing whether secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT) may influence the risk of VFs in middle-aged patients with HF. Methods: 84 patients (44 males, median age 48.5 years, range 43–65) with HF were prospectively evaluated at the baseline and after 36-month follow-up for bone mineral density (BMD) and VFs by quantitative morphometry on chest X-rays.

The influence of Ca2+ concentration on the growth of the microalga Scenedesmus sp. in heterotrophic and photoautotrophic cultivations was investigated. Heterotrophic growth was induced by the addition of olive mill wastewaters (9% v·v-1) to the culture. Variations in the calcium concentration affected differently biomass production depending on whether microalgae were cultivated under heterotrophic or photoautotrophic regime. In photoautotrophic regime, increasing the calcium concentration from 20 to 230mgL-1 decreased maximum cell concentration and growth rate.

INTRODUCTION:
Parathyroid damage or unintentional excision still affect thyroid surgery and may cause permanent hypoparathyroidism. The only way to recover the excised or ischemic gland functionality is still reimplantation. Many sites of reimplantation have been described, each of one showing both advantages and drawbacks. The aim of this study is to verify results of a new procedure called PR-FaST: Parathyroid Reimplantation in Forearm Subcutaneous Tissue, in a series of unselected patients after long-term follow-up.

The lack of BTK in X-linked agammaglobulinemia (XLA) patients does not affect monocytes and polymorphonuclear cells (PMN) phenotype and functions. In this study, we show that XLA patients had an increased frequency of the intermediate monocytes subset and that BTK-deficient monocytes and PMN had a normal expression of receptors involved in the activation and cellular responses. We demonstrate that BTK is not required for migration, phagocytosis and the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) following engagement of FC gamma receptors (Fc?R).

The gliotransmitter glutamate in different brain regions modulates neuronal excitability and synaptic transmission through a variety of mechanisms. Among the hallmarks of astrocytic glutamate release are the slow depolarizing inward currents (SICs) in neurons mediated by N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor activation. Different stimuli that evoke Ca 2+ elevations in astrocytes induce neuronal SICs suggesting a Ca 2+ -dependent exocytotic glutamate release mechanism of SIC generation.